Kimball International Announces Changes in ExecutiveManagement; New Officer to Assume Leadership...

Business Editors

JASPER, Ind.--(BUSINESS

Kimball International, Inc. (Nasdaq:KBALB) announced today the appointment of P. Daniel Miller as Executive Vice President, Kimball International, and President, Kimball Office Group. Miller succeeds John Thyen, who has been functioning in an acting role for the Group, and is now appointed to Senior Executive Vice President, Strategic Marketing for Kimball International.

These new appointments illustrate the company's strategy of carefully planned succession. According to Jim Thyen, President of Kimball International, " We were not content to simply find a capable person with which to fill this position, but to find a person who could help us take both the Kimball Office Group and Kimball International to another level of success globally." Doug Habig, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "These leadership changes more effectively align our management structure with our strategic direction. They will enable us to sharpen our focus on growth in both our currently strong office furniture market and also in those newer markets which we have entered and in which we intend to play a sizable role."

Miller, 52, joins Kimball after an extensive thirty-year career in general management , sales and marketing for a number of consumer durable goods and industrial products companies. He has held executive leadership positions from Sales Manager, General Manager, and Division Vice President, to President and CEO. His experience includes manufacturing operations and multi-billion dollar branded sales and distribution strategies, both domestically and internationally. Miller spent 11 years at Whirlpool Corporation, including six years as President and CEO of Whirlpool's Latin American Appliance Group in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as well as senior marketing assignments with world-wide scope. After returning to the United States, Miller continued his executive career by successfully leading two other manufacturing companies as President and CEO.

The Kimball Office Group, which Miller will lead, is comprised of Kimball Office Furniture Co., National Office Furniture Co., Kimball U.K.,Inc., and Transwall. Products and services from the various companies complement and work with each other across various price points and styles, enabling architects, interior designers and facility planners from large corporations to small businesses to select from the broadest array of office furnishings from a single supplier.

With the appointment of Miller, John Thyen, 62, will immediately assume his new role as Senior Executive Vice President, Strategic Marketing. In this role, he will focus on the growth of Kimball Home Furniture and corporate-wide consumer marketing strategies to achieve consistency in customer satisfaction, corporate brand and image management, e-business and strategic alliances globally.

Commenting on the transition, John Thyen stated, "It has been both an honor and a pleasure to lead the office furniture group for the past 30 years...Now, I look forward to turning my focus toward a challenging new role, home furniture, our brand image, e-business and global alliances."

Referring to the completion of these executive appointments, Kimball International President Jim Thyen stated, "We announced our intention to make these planned moves about a year ago. In combination with the 1999 appointment of Don Charron as President of Kimball Electronics Group, we are now effectively positioned for the future in both our Furniture and Contract Electronics business segments."

Kimball International, Inc. manufactures and markets a broad range of products in its two business segments: the Furniture and Cabinets Segment and the Electronic Contract Assemblies Segment. The Furniture and Cabinets Segment is a global marketer of furniture for the office, residential, lodging, and healthcare industries, and store display fixtures, all sold under the Company's family of brand names. Other products produced by Kimball on an original equipment manufacturer basis include store fixtures, television cabinets and stands, audio speaker systems, residential furniture and furniture components. The Electronic Contract Assemblies Segment is a global provider of design engineering, manufacturing, packaging and distribution of electronic assemblies, circuit boards, multi-chip modules and semiconductor components on a contract basis to customers in the transportation, industrial, telecommunications, computer and medical industries.

To learn more about Kimball International, visit the Company's website on the Internet at: www.kimball.com

"Kimball International Builds Success!"